As Missouri State’s head cross country coach and the programs distance coach for track and field since 2004 the Bears have been a force in the Missouri Valley Conference and the NCAA.

Over the past four seasons, Hipp’s women have brought home 40 all-conference honors, won MVC individual titles eight times, been MVC runners-up nine times and placed third 12 times. Hipp’s runners have also compiled nine NCAA regional and six NCAA national championship qualifying performances on the way to four NCAA all-region and one NCAA All-America honor.

The Missouri State women have continued to take their running to new levels. Hipp’s runners own seven Missouri State distance records; have set seven Missouri Valley Conference records and one state of Missouri collegiate all-time best.

The 2008 outdoor season saw MSU athletes lead the conference in distance event scoring as four of Hipp's runners earn all-MVC honors.  Asher Kyger, Terry Phillips and Jamie Vest all qualified for NCAA regional competition while Vest also ran her way to the NCAA National Championships. Kyger regionally qualified in both the 800-meters (2:09) and 1,500-meters.  Her 1,500-meter best (4:26.20) set a new MSU record.  Phillips 10:38 3,000-meter Steeplechase at the MVC Championships was good enough for second and a new MSU freshman record.  Vest was third at the MVC Championships but took fourth at the NCAA Regional Championships (10:35) to earn her ticket to the national meet.  Carrie Vestal also recorded the Valley's top 10,000-meter time (35:09) at the Stanford Invitational.

MSU's distance medley relay highlighted the 2008 indoor season winning the Valley Championship with a new MVC Championship record (11:43).  Asher Kyger won the One-Mile Run at the conference meet while Carrie Vestal earned all-Conference honors in the 5000-meters. 

The 2007 cross country season saw the Bears bring home team titles from each of their first three meets of the season including the prestigious Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree. At the 2007 MVC Championship, Hipp’s harriers placed second, as Kyger, Vest and Vestal each earned all-conference honors.

The 2007 track season saw MSU distance Kristin Wolkey earn MVC runner-up finishes in the indoor Mile and the outdoor 1,500-meters.  Vestal was the MVC’s runner-up in the 10,000-meters while Vest took the same honor in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase.  Vest qualified for the NCAA Regional Championship with the Mideast’s 13^th best performance (10:40). 

Wolkey had a record breaking run under Hipp in 2006 as she set the school’s 5K cross country record previously set by two-time All-American Casey Owens in 2004.  Wolkey also earned all-MVC honors as the Bears took third at the league meet and ninth at the NCAA Midwest region meet.

In 2006 Hipp’s distance runners brought home seven all-conference honors at the MVC track championships. At the Stanford Invitational Ashley Sanders (35:25) and Vestal (35:29) turned in the two fastest 10,000m times in the MVC. At the outdoor championships Vestal won the same event with Sanders second marking the fourth year in-a-row an MSU runner had won the 10,000m and the third year in-a-row the Bears finished one-two in the event. Hipp also guided Casey DeWitt to the NCAA regional meet in the 3,000m steeplechase with a best of 10:32, the 11th-best performance in the Mideast region.

On the track in 2005 Hipp’s distance runners took league titles in the indoor 3,000m, indoor 5,000m, outdoor 5,000m along with a one-two finish in the outdoor 10,000m by Owens and Sanders. Owens and Clarissa Codrington added a two-three finish in the 1,500m at the outdoor championships, as well running the two fastest times in MSU history at that time. MSU 3,000m steeplechase record-holder Erin Sutton (10:27) also qualified for the NCAA regional championships. In 2005 Owens set two MVC all-time records (16:15 5,000m indoors, 33:32 10,000m outdoors) and three MVC championship meet records. She qualified for the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships earning All-America honors at the outdoor meet in the 10,000m. Through the season improving her best by 1:21 from the previous year Owens placed ninth at the USA National Championships in the 10,000m (33:32) to set a MVC and state of Missouri collegiate all-time best. Owens was also named to Team USA for an international road race event in Chiba, Japan.

In 2004 Hipp was named MVC Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year, as he guided the Missouri State women to their fourth-straight MVC cross country championship and a fifth-place Midwest Region finish. That team featured four all-conference selections, including Owens, Sutton, Sanders and DeWitt.  Owens won her second individual MVC championship in three years before being named all-region and qualifying for the NCAA national championship for the second-consecutive year.

The cross country teams have seen a great deal of success in the classroom under Hipp as well. In each of his four seasons, Hipp’s cross country teams have received all-academic recognition by the USTFCCCA including boasting the seventh highest GPA in the country in 2006.  MSU distance runners have also earned CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America awards three times over the past three years.

Prior to being promoted to head cross country coach Hipp served as an assistant coach for the Bears from 2003 to 2004.

A native of Charlotte, N.C., Hipp joined the Missouri State program after one season as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Appalachian State University. During his one season on staff at ASU, the Mountaineers swept the Southern Conference titles in men’s and women’s cross country and five student-athletes earned all-conference honors. As a member of the ASU cross country and track and field teams from 1998 to 2002, Hipp was part of six Southern Conference championship teams.

Aside from coaching, Hipp serves on the USATF Executive Cross Country Council and is women’s Midwest region representative on the USTFCCCA Executive Cross Country Committee. Hipp has earned his USATF Level II coaching certifications in endurance, sprints, hurdles and relays and is near completion of his Level III certification in endurance. A 2002 graduate of Appalachian State, Hipp earned his master’s degree in education from Missouri State in 2004.

Missouri State's 2008 Distance Medley Relay

team set the Missouri Valley Conference Championship record.

Hipp poses with MVC Champions Michael Breshears (2005 Champion) and Casey Owens (2002 and 2004 Champion) at the 2004 NCAA Midwest Region meet where both earned all-Region honors.  Owens also went on to earn all-American honors that year.

Carrie Vestal finishing 58th in her first MVC

championship then one year later she was a

MVC Champion.